Photo Hunt - Public

Many of my visitors can probably identify this well-known public place Mom and Dad visited during the Spring. I am nowhere near as tricky as Chey is with her Find Chey Friday posts.

Thursday in the Garden with Simba

Hello kitties! Here's the gardening news from my deck:

The impatiens have really filled out and are looking pretty good, I think. With all the hot weather, Dad has moved the planters to keep them mostly in the shade, which they seem to like. There are four of them. He is also really good about watering everything a lot. On account of I can't do it myself, otherwise of course I would.

My catnip plant is getting quite full and actually flopping over. There are quite a lot of flowers on it - I am not sure if it would grow better if we pinched off the flowers but we like them!

And the last bit of gardening news is that we have several cherry tomatoes ripening and very close to being ready for picking! No good picture to show you. My servant is slacking off on the photography.

Wednesday Weight

And the answer is

:

:

:

:

:

:

:


A. 12 lbs

Even though I have a fairly large frame, a lot of me is floof, and floof doesn't weigh that much. But even Mom is always surprised that I don't weigh more because my legs look so fat. We tried to throw you off by making the right answer the lowest. Did it work?

Thanks for playing! Hope everybody is getting mentally ready for "back to school"!

Tuesday Test

No new picture today, but a short multiple choice test. Choose one of the 4 answers, so you have a 25% chance of being right just by guessing. That is pretty easy! Good MC questions should have 5 choices. This is an "open book" test so you may look back at past photos of me in deciding your answer.

Question: Rounded off to the nearest half pound, how much does Simba weigh? (Mom did my weight by "difference" on the human scale and it only does whole pounds and half pounds).

a) 12 lb
b) 13 lb
c) 13.5 lb
d) 14 lb

For my overseas friends who do kitty weights in grams, 1000g = 2.2 lbs (1kg = 2.2 lb)

Mancat Monday

I know posting all these photos of me exploring outside, and the garage and so forth, makes it seem like I get to go free a lot. Actually the pictures from the last several days were all taken on one excursion by my Dad, but because they are fun pictures, I am using them in several different posts.


After circuiting the house, I returned to the front steps. I like to look and listen to all the stuff going on up the road, at a house where there are some kids. Kids make interesting sounds with their playing. Our actual street is only one block long, and has very very little car traffic. And I never go towards it, not ever. The boy who lives in the neighbors' house has an electric scooter that he rides up and down the street. Mom says she would like one of those to get from the parking lot to her building at work!

Sunday Sniffing

I think I will spend some time today checking out the Garage, if I can. I don't usually go in there, but recently Dad had some things "unarranged" to paint the stairway leading into the house so no cars are in there. Lots to sniff and check out.

I think it's time to do some real "arranging" in there. Even I know that garages are supposed to have cars in them, and I only ever remember there being one car in this two-car garage! And yesterday they were out shopping for a potential NEW car. They were discussing some shelving units from Costco. Good idea, Dad!

PhotoHunt - Hanging

We have several Hummingbird feeders on our deck. Three of them are of this type with the little test tubes. They usually work very well, because Dad can freshen the sugar water often with the small tubes.

However, for some reason, this year we have had virtually no hummingbirds visiting our feeders. It may have to do with when Dad was first able to put the feeders out, which was later than usual due to their trips in May and June. Dad is not giving up, and hopes that we will start to see some when they begin migrating. But he has been pretty sad, because he really loves watching them and feels good about providing them with some fresh food and water.

Friend on Friday

This little visitor has decided to hang out in our yard again sometimes. With the stone walls and trees, our yard is very good for chipmunks, and we have quite a few chipmunk tunnels in the front yard. Little Cow Kitty knows they sometimes come up through that space under the stone in the walkway. She is ever so patient. I think she is pretty cute but she is also quite shy. We have never seen her actually CATCH a chipmunk.

Thursday in the Garden with Simba

The other day Dad was supervising me in the garden and had the camera with him, and he let me go all the way to the Back Wall of our property. The back boundary line is an old stone farm wall. I felt very important. Look how big the wall is compared to me! It does a pretty good job of keeping me from wandering to the back neighbors' yard.

After a little more exploring and a few more pictures, spoilsport Mom said I had to come in. But then she gave me Party Mix and that made it all okay.

Some Words Wednesday

Simba: Mom wants to say something.

Mom: I don't understand the function of the curtain in these pictures. Simba sleeps behind the curtain nearly every day during the middle of the day only. Sometimes the head is out, sometimes not.

Simba: I'm not sayin' nuthin'. It's Wordless Wednesday.

Great List!

24 Signs You’re Living Under The Velvet Paw

Go to Katz and Other Tales for a great list by Au and Target and their owner.

Manly Monday - Jelly Bean Attack

I have been having so much fun! For a cat who doesn't play a lot with toys, I have really surprised Mom.

Let me go back a little and explain. Two weeks ago, jane and Alice of Casbah Kitten, had a contest, to work out a scrambled word. I was one of the correct guessers (it took me and Mom a while before we worked it out) and my name got picked as the winner! My prize was 3 of their super duper jelly bean toys.

Well, my prize arrived in the mail last Friday, and as soon as the mail was placed on the kitchen table, I jumped up there to sniff it. That is pretty unusual for me. But the catnip smell coming through the Casbah Kitten package and the mailing envelope must have immediately attracted me. So you have to know how good their nip is!

Mom put the envelope down on the floor for me to check out, and then took out the package of jelly beans. I was very interested all along. But when she unwrapped them, I went bonkers with delight. Tossing in the air, bunny picking, racing around - I have to tell you, these are such great toys. Mom tried hard to get some good pictures and some video, but I was moving too fast. But here are a couple at the beginning to give you an idea of my level of interest and to see how beautifully the jelly beans were packaged. Sorry some are a bit blurry.

Thank you SO much, jane and Alice. I really love my prize. And I also love the fact that you let me pick the colors. Oh, and they are having another scrambled word contest today!!

Photo Hunt - Triangle

How many triangles do you see?


People found a bunch that I didn't see on me! Katnip Lounge noticed the mat and the floor boards of the deck formed triangles. I don't think anybody found the triangle formed by the blue towel and my body/front leg, and the one at the top right of the picture, formed by the upright railing, the horizontal piece of wood, and the edge of the picture. Also, MAYbe we can see a couple of triangles formed by shadows on the grass.

Follow up Friday

Did you wonder what was going on in my Wordless Wednesday post? This picture shows you what happened next. Mom and Dad don't usually have the table so close to the railing, so I usually have to jump back down if Mom puts me on the railing, or I jump up there myself. Of course I did have to jump from the table in the end. Mom thinks I took a little detour and nommed on the spidee plant (lower right) , however.

Thursday 200th Post in the Garden with Simba

As I told you the other day, Dad is pretty excited because one of his cherry tomato plants has quite a few small tomatoes on it, and quite a lot more flowers. The tomatoes are still green:


I have posted myself in a good position to keep watch over them, just in case some pesky squirrel or chipmunk thinks he can come and steal them. However, it is sometimes hard to

stay awake!


Mom checked my list of posts and it turns out that this is my 200th post today. Wow, as the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun.

Oh, and yesterday? I was getting down from the railing, and Mom just happened to snap my picture in that position.

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Thoughts

Audrey is a pretty cute kitty, isn't she? I like the picture of her leaning against the laptop (below). She looks like she is deep in thought - maybe blogging by telepathy, her Mom said. Seeing as we kitties don't have an easy time with the keyboard and all.

Can you believe it is almost the middle of July? That means we are more than halfway through 2010! How did THAT happen?

My Dad's cherry tomato plant has some small green tomatoes on it. Excitement, people and cats. Excitement. I will post some pics on Thursday.

Enjoy the remainder of July 13th.

Guest Blogger for a Special Day

Hi, everybuddy. This is Audrey here.

Simba is letting me use his blog today so I can wish MY Mom a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (I know she reads his blog every morning). You're the best Mom a girl could ever have. Thanks for giving me my forever home and for putting up with all my shenanigans. Have a great, fun day, but don't forget to feed me my dinner tonight!

Love,
Audrey

Mancat Monday

Yesterday's post and your comments were fun. Good answers! Yes, it was the house cricket I dedded. Mom took the picture of him when he was still alive and hopping in the kitchen, and I was playing with him. In the morning there were cricket legs in the front hall. So either I mashed him, or I ate some parts, leaving the legs.

The hole in the herb pot was dug when I wasn't out on the deck, probably early in the morning, so it wasn't my doing. Mom agrees with those of you who said they think it was a chipmunk. Squirrel is not totally out of consideration, but the neat hole dug so that the soil was outside the pot on the deck seems characteristic of the way chipmunks dig, and the hole was a good fit for a chipmunk. Anyway, squirrel wasn't one of the choices I gave you.

Thanks for playing my game!

Here's a picture of me looking mancatly for today. I am showing off the white fur on my chin and neck. This is my "secondary" napping spot with towel on the deck (yes,I am spoiled). I have a better view of the bird feeder and the birdies flying to it from this spot.


Happy Monday and Happy week, everybody! And special Happy Birthday wishes to my auntie M today. Hope you read this today!

Sunday Sleuthing

SOMEbody has been digging in one of the herb pots. See the evidence here:




Help Mom work out who it was. Here are the candidates, all of whom have been photographed in the vicinity within 48 hours of the event:

House cricket

Woodchuck


Chipmunk


ME!!!!


And a bonus question: which do you think I dedded the other night?

Photohunt - Free

The theme for today's Photohunters is "Free".

Kitties and cats. when I manage to get free from my deck into the garden, this is where I do it:


Do you see that pulled down section of the green netting that I have made? I don't even have to jump up: I go up on my back legs, grip the top of the plastic netting, and pull myself up and over.

So recently Mom and Dad tried to use some more complicated blockers - a board across the top, with a planter of impatiens across the board. It was a little more involved to escape then, but I learned to jump from the railing on the left onto the stairs, and then once again I was FREE! So they managed to inhibit me, but not stop me. Thus they have given up on the complicated setup and gone back to the original one as shown in the picture.

Now I do have to tell you, I don't escape and go free THAT often, because I have to uphold my membership in the Good Kitty Club.

Versatile Blogger

Recently, the Furry Dance Cats honored me with the Versatile Blogger Award. Here are the rules that go along with this award:

Rule #1. Thank the kitty who gave it to you

Thank you so much Teri and all the Furry Dance cats. Thanks for considering me “versatile”.

Rule #2. Share 9 things about yourself:

This is a toughie, and why I didn’t post about the award right away. Wow. Here we go:

1. My favorite kind of food is the Friskies wet food varieties that have gravy on them. If Mom is home, I pester her for fresh food several times during the day.

2. Although I eat a lot, I am not fat. Mom says I put a lot of food energy into growing all my fur.

3. I don’t get on counters or dressers, though I do like to lie on the dining room table.

4. I am pretty brave about the vacuum cleaner – in fact I watch Mom while she uses it until she gets quite close to me, then I run.

5. I don’t play much with toys, but some fresh catnip is enjoyable once in a while and I have my own plant

6. I love spending time on my deck but I don’t like it when it is too sunny

7. My parents got me from a yong woman who had to give me up when I was 18 months old, and they were going to give me to my human sister, but I liked their house so much and fitted in so well, that they kept me.

8. My front feet are declawed (from my previous home) but I still sometimes “scratch” on the sofa

9. I love both my parents, but I tend to stick to where my Mom is more than my Dad, unless it has to do with going on the deck. I expect Mom, not Dad, to feed me.

and Rule #3. Pass this along to 9 other bloggers

I am going to break this rule and offer it to all my friends, who are all great Versatile Bloggers.

Thursday in the Garden with Simba

My Dad planted four window boxes of impatiens in different colors again this year - they do very well on our deck and give lots of color for many months. They are doing nicely, and actually grown a bit more than shown in this picture from about 2 weeks ago. I snoopervise them well, making sure he gives them adequate water, occasional fertilizer, and I purr to them to help them grow.

But here is a little "impatiens surprise". It looks like last summer a seed from an impatiens plant found its way into one of the Christmas Cactus pots. So now we have a bonus red impatiens growing right in with the cactus. Dad hates to let any plants die, so he is not pulling this one out, even though from the perspective of the Cactus it is a weed.

Wordless Wednesday

I Better Get a Haircut

Or at least find some shade.

Patriotic Nip

Look what Dad did for me for the 4th of July! Patriotic Nip!

Easy on Sunday

Like so many of my friends, I plan to nap the day away. I don't think the sound of the firworks tonight will bother me, since it will be hot enough to have the house closed and the air conditioner on.

Happy 4th of July to all in the USA!